New pool bids expected soon Rutland may have a new swimming facility in 2018. The design is finalized and requests to bid have been solicited, City Recreation and Parks Department Superintendent Cindi Wight said. Construction could begin as early as June. After much reconsideration, the final design is back to that of a two-pool facility.…

Killington’s town clerk Lucrecia Wonser has earned a Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). The MMC is one of the two professional designations granted by IIMC. To qualify for entrance into the Master Municipal Clerk Academy (MMCA), which prepares participants for achieving the MMC status, one must have…

WOODSTOCK—Gary S. Thulander, president and general manager of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, was awarded the Borden E. Avery Innkeeper of the Year by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce at the 34th Annual Vermont Tourism Summit, held April 5-6 at Stoweflake Resort, Stowe. “Gary Thulander is the epitome of a leader to his resort team…

The Green Mountain Club (GMC), maintainer of Vermont’s Long Trail and Vermont’s hiking trails advocate, along with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), manager of State Forests and Parks, and the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) have announce the return of mud season. Some trails, especially those at high elevations, are closed…

Friday, April 21, 8 a.m.—POULTNEY—The world needs all hands on deck to combat climate change! To empower individuals and local communities to create climate solutions, Green Mountain College will host the third annual North Country Climate Reality Conference. Presented with SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, the event will take place Friday, April 21, 8 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. in Withey…

By Julia Purdy On a recent early spring day, with snow still blanketing the woods, no green shoots were poking through just yet, but meltwater was trickling across the old woods road along the east flank of Birdseye, where deer and turkey had left recent tracks. At the top of the hike, a winter-beaten field…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger Nearly 1,400 students descended on the state capitol  Wednesday, April 12, for a rally against climate change. High school students organized the event, which was conceived three years ago by students in a civics class at Harwood Union High School. Several of the students provided testimony to legislators on the importance…

KILLINGTON—With this summer right around the corner, Vermont Adaptive announced its new adaptive mountain bike program, one of the first in New England. The program offers limited adaptive mountain bikes plus special dates for outings in various locations. The program quietly began last summer. This year multiple locations, outings and events are planned for all…

RUTLAND—Kindred Spirit, Rutland’s unique downtown furniture and home goods store, is moving around the corner and tripling in size, owners Stephen Willoughby and Allison Thompson announced Thursday, April 13. The store, located at 53 Merchants Row, will move to 116 West Street (former home to Small Dog Electronics). With the change in location comes a…

By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW — On May 30, voters in Ludlow and Mount Holly will decide whether to close Black River High School and send its students to Mill River High School in North Clarendon. On Thursday, April 13, a committee of Ludlow and Mount Holly school officials and School Board members met to hash…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger Four more Syrian refugee families are set to come to Rutland by the end of September. They will join two other Syrian refugee families who arrived in the city at the beginning of the year, before President Donald Trump issued an executive order that suspended the program for 120 days…

By Evan Johnson Vermonters serving in the Vermont Air National Guard and the Vermont National Guard will see a ramping up of trainings in advance of a possible deployment in 2020, Vermont’s Adjutant General Steven Cray announced on April 13. The announcement on Thursday morning was part of a town hall meeting presented by the…

By Evan Johnson RUTLAND—Vermont Congressman Peter Welch got an inside look at the Rutland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to increase the visibility of the Rutland area while on a statewide swing through the state last week. Welch sat down with business and community leaders on the steering committee on Thursday afternoon, April 13. Green…

By Polly Mikula KILLINGTON—The Killington Arts Guild, founded in 1998, will close its doors after an unsuccessful search for a president of the guild. The state of Vermont requires at least three directors to qualify as an active nonprofit organization. The stipulation will forced the organization to lose its non-profit status, according to Alice Sciore,…

Royalton voted “no”; a “yes” vote was necessary for school board merger to pass By Evan Johnson School district officials and community members are looking for a way forward after a plan to unify seven towns into three “side-by-side” districts in central Vermont failed last week. Royalton was the only one to vote down the…